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Shatner Performs Palin’s ‘Poetry’

By Robert Mackey July 28, 2009 5:30 pmJuly 28, 2009 5:30 pm

On Monday night William Shatner, the actor who carved out a sideline in the 1970s as a sort of proto-rapper, delivering spoken lyrics over music, appeared on NBC’s “Tonight Show” to apply his vocal stylings to part of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s farewell speech. Video of that performance is embedded above.

Having gotten the Shatner treatment, Ms. Palin has joined John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Bernie Taupin as writers whose words have been reimagined as poetry by the actor. On the Web site Last.fm you can hear Mr. Shatner’s unforgettable takes on both “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

During an awards show in 1978, Mr. Shatner applied his technique to an interpretation of the song “Rocket Man,” in a broadcast preserved on YouTube:

Update | July 29 A reader points out that Mr. Shatner’s version of the Pulp song “Common People,” with Joe Jackson, is quite extraordinary too. Last.fm has this fan-made video for Mr. Shatner’s version of “Common People.” He also performed that song live on “The Tonight Show” in 2004.

Once again, the liberal media having their fun at Sarah’s expense. Most of the people in real America don’t need lofty rhetoric, perfect grammar or rigid syntax to understand truth when they hear it. Although she really should get a teleprompter, a speechwriter and a basic education, because she sounds like an absolute idiot.

It’s amazing but not surprising that NBC and the New York Times would team up to continue the assault on Sarah Palin. Keeping up the attacks, making sure there is no life left in the carcass for he scare that she inflicted during September 2008. All you need is Keith Obermann to top it off. Get a life.

Dear Ozzie PDX,
Sarah Palin is insane. She’s unqualified to do anything BUT run Alaska, and she doesn’t seem all that interested in doing even that. She’s let down her supporters and her home state, helped McCain to lose his bid for president and continues to make outrages statements and blame everyone but herself for her own failures. I know: I’m an elitist and a liberal, etc., etc., Save it. I’m all of those things. True. But Palin is still a total joke and you’re, pardon me for saying so, kind of a fool for defending her, when, I’m willing to bet, she’d set you on fire if she thought it would advance her ambitions in any way.

If that’s the speech she gave, put in the form of a poem as read by Mr Shatner, Ms Palin should have read the speech in the poetic fashion and called it a Farwell Address.

Many, maybe most people, no doubt, would have thought it beautiful and voiced how Ms Palin went out in style, pollibly comparing her with great orators of the past such as Lincoln, her greatest speech ever, short, sweet, and to the point.

Gee. Sarah Palin *was* the vice presidential candidate and now, though no one knows for sure what’s next for her, she may run for the presidency, she may go on the talk show circuit, she may write her memoirs or some other book, she may remain active in public life.

She puts herself in the limelight, aka “the kitchen”, she ought to be able to take the heat.

I enjoyed the poetry reading. For me, it was the first time I could make sense out of what she is saying. I think she does have a touch of the poetic in her. That’s not anti-Palin; That’s rehabilitation.

The right has to learn to laugh a little and stop coming across as humorless culture warriors. The left laughs at Biden’s gaffs. Which is why the right can’t get any traction with them. But the right just gets in a tizzy when they get laughed at. Show some confidence, laugh at things that are truly funny and maybe more people will start throwing votes your way again when they see a little humanity.

Just to cement the point, Reagan had a great sense of humor and came across as a genuinely likeable guy. Sure didn’t hurt him at the ballot box.

Politicians have to make some kind of sense when they talk – the sentences have to have a structure. They have to convey some type of concrete thought. How can anyone follow what she’s saying? How does one know what one is voting for when one casts a vote for Sarah Palin? Nobody would give her a second look if she wasn’t this attractive.

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